A Child of Both Worlds
by EmeraldElphaba
Summary: From the moment she was born, everyone knew she was different. But it wasn't until her world had been swept away that she finally found out why.


The wind blew through her midnight hair as her feet pounded on the pavement. The Yellow Brick Road seemed to stretch on forever compared to what she remembered. But a lot had changed since then, more so than expected.

It had been ten years since she had set foot in Oz, ten years since she had said her final goodbyes to Glinda before slipping under that trapdoor. Nobody knew she was still alive, with the exception of Fiyero. Nobody remembered anything about her other than her unmistakably green skin and her foreboding title, the Wicked Witch of the West. They had taken everything from her: her dreams, her love, her friendships, her younger sister. Yet Elphaba Thropp still refused to give up.

The Emerald City loomed in front of her, as surreal as the fact that she was alive and well after all these years. The chill of the breeze rustled the dry autumn leaves that rested on the ground. The occasional Animal, hiding in the bushes, muttered excitedly upon laying eyes on the emerald-skinned woman strolling down the road. Despite feeling soothed by the familiarity of Oz, Elphaba couldn't help but feel like something out of the ordinary was happening.

The gates of the Emerald City were straight ahead, and a moment later, she was standing in front of them. It was then that she remembered how the City was guarded by Gale Force soldiers, and she regretted not using her broom to fly over the wall. She thought it would have been too obvious, and she would have been recognized in the blink of an eye.

The guard on duty stepped forward, gun at the ready. "What do you want?" he hissed violently, stepping back from where Elphaba stood.

Elphaba only sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, "I am here to see Glinda the Good."

The guard's eyes widened with surprise. He wondered if he was hallucinating, because the Wicked Witch of the West, dead for more than ten years now, was not only standing in front of him, but asking to meet with the woman who ruled Oz.

"Show me a spell," he said after a long pause. "All I want to know is whether or not I'm hallucinating you."

The man watched as the green witch chanted under her breath, and before he knew it, a tingling sensation spread through his body. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

_"Remebra non memor…"_ she chanted. It was a simple memory-erasing spell. He wouldn't remember anything that happened within two hours of seeing her. She was safe.

Elphaba walked through the gates of the Emerald City, which swung open at her magical command. Quickly, she ran through the nighttime air until she found herself standing in front of the Emerald Palace. Chanting another spell, the door unlocked, and she quietly strode down the hallway to what was formerly the Wizard's throne room.

There, on the throne where the Wizard once sat, was Glinda the Good, looking just as beautiful and poised as she always had. Her cerulean eyes were wet with tears, and she did not look up from her lap when Elphaba entered the room.

"It seems the beautiful get more beautiful," she said, smiling and stepping closer to the throne, "while the green just get greener."

The sound of Elphaba's voice echoed throughout the throne room, and Glinda looked up with astonishment. "_Elphie_?"

"Yes, Glinda," Elphaba sighed, "it's me."

Tears poured down Glinda's cheeks as she ran towards her best friend, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "Oh, Elphie, I thought you were dead!"

Elphaba looked deep into her friend's eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you we were alive."

Glinda looked confused. "We?"

"Fiyero and I. We're both alive," she confessed. "Fiyero didn't come because I insisted; I didn't want him to get hurt. But I'm sure he would like you to know he's alive."

"Elphie," she cried, "why didn't you tell me?"

Elphaba sighed. She thought about how guilty she felt leading Glinda to believe that her best friend and former fiancé were dead. "I couldn't tell you, Glinda. We had to escape before anyone found out."

Glinda had nothing more to say. Instead, she laid her head on Elphaba's shoulder as the tears fell from her eyes.

Elphaba noticed two identical green bottles, small and delicate, sitting on a nearby table. She had only seen a bottle like those once in her life: the green bottle that had belonged to her mother.

"Glinda," she asked, "where did you get that?'

"I found it next to where I thought you died," she explained, drying her eyes. "I showed it to the Wizard, and he…he had one just like it."

Elphaba didn't understand. "What do you mean, he had one just like it?"

Glinda took a deep breath and turned to face her friend. "Elphie, the Wizard…the Wizard is your father."

Elphaba stood in silence, shocked at this realization. _Her powers_, she thought. She could read the Grimmerie because it was from another world. The Wizard had been from another world; he had told her himself. _A child of both worlds._

"This is why I have powers," she said out loud. "One of my parents is from Oz, the other from a different world. And the elixir is why I'm green."

Glinda wrapped her arms around her friend. "It's okay, Elphie. I know it will be."

Elphaba only nodded, unsure of what to say.

From the moment she was born, everyone knew she was different.

But it wasn't until her world had been swept away that she finally found out why.

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**AN: Thank you for taking your time to read this oneshot! Reviews are appreciated but not required.**

**~EmeraldElphaba**


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